Examples of the present invention will be described in the context of pairing or associating a sound processor of a cochlear implant system with a remote electronic device, such as an external controller. However, the present invention should not be considered as being limited to this exemplary field of use.
Auditory prostheses include any acoustic or electrical auditory prosthesis, such as hearing aids, middle ear implants, cochlear implants, brain stem implants, auditory mid-brain implant, and other devices which provide electrical and/or acoustic stimulation to a recipient to assist with hearing. Such prostheses require an input in the form of an electrical signal that corresponds to a sound signal for processing by the prosthesis. The input is typically obtained from a microphone that receives a sound signal. For example, a conventional cochlear implant consists of an external part containing a microphone, sound processor, and a headpiece coil, and an implanted part, which contains an implant coil and a stimulator device coupled to an electrode array.
Sound is received at the microphone, which generates an electrical signal that is delivered to the sound processor as an input. The sound processor processes the input signal and generates control signals, according to a pre-defined sound processing strategy, for controlling the stimulation of the electrode array of the stimulator device. The control signals are transferred over a transcutaneous link by the headpiece coil via the implant coil to the stimulator device, which sends corresponding stimuli to appropriate electrodes of the electrode array that stimulate the recipient's auditory nerve to give a perception of hearing.
Bilateral auditory prosthesis systems exist. For example, a prosthesis may be fitted to both the right ear and left ear of a recipient to form a bilateral system. Each device in a bilateral system may operate independently of the other, or they may communicate by either a wireless or a wired connection in delivering joint assistance to the recipient.
From time to time it may be desirable to connect a component of such a system (e.g. the sound processor) to a remote electronic device, such as a remote control, computer, or other sound processor, to enable communication between them (e.g. to perform diagnostic tests on the processor, adjust settings, etc.). For example, the Cochlear™ Nucleus® CP810 Sound Processor can be wirelessly associated with a Nucleus® CR110 Remote Assistant (both manufactured by Cochlear Limited) to enable a recipient or other person using the Remote Assistant to easily monitor, control, and manage the operation of the sound processor and the cochlear implant generally.
The process for establishing communication between a sound processor and a remote electronic device is typically initiated by a user navigating a menu on the device and pressing the required control button. This process requires users to learn how to correctly initiate the pairing of the devices, which some people may find complicated.
Enabling one device to establish data communications with another device without the user initiating the pairing can run the risk that devices pair in unintended ways. In some cases of use, formation of unintended pairs is merely an inconvenience, but in others it may be a critical problem because the incorrect external device may obtain control of the auditory prosthesis.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have a method of pairing a component of an auditory prosthesis and a remote electronic device that provides ease of use and maintains security, or at least provides an alternative mechanism to existing techniques.